The use of a mini-camera attached to the end of a push rod or mounted on a some type of platform in order to view blockage or damage in a section of pipe beneath the surface of the ground is well known in the art. Such cameras are propelled through the pipe by means of a push rod or by the use of a motor powered carriage. While useful in helping to view the pipe's interior, such known devices are limited in that they do not always provide a stable camera platform, nor do they allow for the pipe to be cleaned while viewing its interior.
Although the mini-camera mounted to the end of a push rod is capable of traversing the bends and turns of a pipe system it is not stabilized and therefore rotates along with the push rod as the rod is pulled from it containing reel. Such rotation makes it difficult for the observer to evaluate the video as one must continually reorient themselves as to where the top and bottom of the pipe is. This is because what appears on the screen is based on the position of the camera which may have rotated to the inverted position. A device that would allow for the stabilization of a mini-camera as it is propelled down a pipe line would be a major improvement in the art.
Another known device for propelling a camera through a pipe involves the use of a sewer flushing machine that utilizes water to push the camera through the pipe. This allows the pipe to be cleaned and inspected at the same time. Such device also generates a water flow which, when seen on the television monitor, provides a reference point for the viewer as to where the bottom of the tank is. While it is advantageous to clean the pipe while at the same time having a viewing reference point to aid in the pipe inspection, it would be even more beneficial if one could prevent the camera from rotating along with the water hose as it travels through the pipeline. Not only would such improvement benefit the observer watching the television monitor, but it would also prevent the camera from rolling underwater as it transits the pipeline.
An improved camera support that is capable of being propelled with a jet stream of water while at the same time stabilizing the camera and thus overcoming some of the problems and shortcomings mentioned above would be an important advance in the art.